Biblical Rules of Death Part 3

In the Old Testament era, priests offered the blood of animals to try to reconcile sinful humans with the righteous God. The offering of innocent blood as a sacrifice for the sins of men was established by God (Genesis 3:21).

Hebrews 10:4 “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

However, the blood of animals could only postpone the penalty of sin (Hebrews 10:4-1). It was like paying the annual interest on a loan but being incapable of repaying the principal amount. The sacrifice of bulls and goats kept their relationship with God active – but only temporarily. In the end, their sin debt was still outstanding and until it was paid, they could not go to heaven.

Only the righteous blood of the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ, could truly atone for the sins of men (Romans 5). This was done once and for all and it need not be repeated (Hebrews 7:27).

Jesus died for the sins of the entire world (John 3:16,17). However, God’s forgiveness is not applied automatically. Only when an individual truly “believes” on Christ (Romans 10:9) is he (or she) born again as a child of God.

Romans 10:10 “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

When a person accepts Jesus as his Savior (in faith, by confessing, and believing), God looks upon them with mercy, forgiveness, and even favor. When we are forgiven, we have fellowship and eternal life with God both now and throughout eternity (1 John 1:7).

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Ray Waldo is a retired pastor with a passion for sharing knowledge, understanding and (if possible), wisdom with everyone he meets. Prior to his retirement, Ray served as a local pastor and teacher to five different churches in two states. He also served as a short-term missionary, teacher, and crusade speaker to groups in Mexico, Kenya, Uganda & the Democratic Republic of Congo (while Congo was still in conflict).
Ray is also a widely recognized teacher, writer and public speaker. He was the top-billed speaker to groups of over 10,000 people when he visited Africa. He is currently writing two books (online) that he expects to be published within the next two years.